Kabang
Kabang is an unconventional
band that has managed to form and shape a personal sound from their very
beginning. "Equilibrium" has been re-released recently in order to re-introduce
the band to the metal society and thus prepare and smoothen the ground
for their sophomore release called "Degeneration". Rob Dexter, the band's
singer and bass player is here to offer us some really enlightening answers
concerning the band and its future...
1. FIRST OF ALL MY CONGRATULATIONS FOR AN
INCREDIBLE ALBUM!!!
The band is glad to hear that your really
enjoyed the CD and wanted to do this interview.
2. PLEASE POINT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT MOMENTS
OF THE BAND’S HISTORY AND INTRODUCE THE LINE UP TO THE READERS…
An important moment with Kabang was getting
signed to Tribro Records. Even though they are a smaller label, it's a
team effort. Both the band and the label work together to get our music
out to the people. A lot of times when you are signed with a bigger
label you tend to be forgotten and pushed to the side so they can manage
their bigger bands. We also had the opportunity to work with a great producer
on the second CD. His name is Jason Corsaro and he has worked with bands
like Motorhead and Soundgarden and really taught the band a lot. The whole
recording process was a learning experience. Jason had a way of getting
the best out of you and it shows on our new CD. The band consists of myself
Rob Dexter on vocals and bass guitar, Steve Bell plays guitars and Ian
Budha is the dummer. On the CD we are a 3 piece but we have a bass player
named Rich Schiavo for the live shows so I can concentrate on singing.
3. I THINK THAT YOU HAVE MANAGED TO CREATE AN
ORIGINAL AND PERSONAL SOUND AS A BAND, DESPITE THE FACT THAT “EQUILIBRIUM”
IS YOUR DEBUT RELEASE. YOUR SOUND GAVE ME A REALLY HARD TIME TO DESCRIBE
OR EVEN GIVE A PROPER HINT IN MY REVIEW. SO, WHERE DO YOU PLACE KABANG,
MUSICALLY SPEAKING?
That's a great question. It's even hard for
us to define our sound. The music is definitely heavy. We tend to write
songs that are melodic also with aggressive vocals. You'll wanna bang your
head and the choruses you'll remember. We have many influences as a band
and I think there are hints of these bands in our music but I wouldn't
say we sound like anyone. The one thing we didn't want to do is copy a
band's sound that is big at the moment, you will never be able to develop
your own sound that way.
4. WHAT KIND OF PROCEDURE DO YOU FOLLOW DURING
THE SONGWRITING PROCESS? ARE THE DECISIONS MADE IN A DEMOCRATIC MANNER
OR NOT?
All of us are involved in the song writing
process. We consider everyone's input because it's about getting the best
songs possible. I do tend to write most of the lyrics but I have written
music for few of the songs on the new CD. Ian and Steve both have
an equal hand in the writing process. We bring the songs to the table
and weed out the songs that aren't as strong as the others. Then we demo
the best songs on Steve's home studio. Then we work on developing
the song as best as possible until we enter the real studio to record the
final version.
5. YOU ARE ABOUT TO RELEASE YOUR SECOND ALBUM,
SO TELL US A FEW THINGS ABOUT IT. WHICH ARE THE MAIN DIFFERENCES AND SIMILARITIES
BETWEEN YOUR 2 ALBUMS? ARE YOU SATISFIED BY THE FINAL RESULT?
I really believe on the second CD we were
able to focus in on our sound. The first CD was more of the development
stage of the band. Although we loved the final product of the first one,
we definitely grew as a band and our writing got better. Also, having a
bigger producer with more experience was a bonus. I really can't say anything
bad about the first CD, it was a great debut of the band. Both CDs will
kick your ass.
6. IT WAS YOUR LABEL’S DECISION TO RE-RELEASE
“EQUILIBRIUM” BEFORE RELEASING YOUR SECOND ALBUM. WHY? DO YOU THINK THAT
THIS WAY YOU’LL CREATE MORE FUZZ AROUND YOUR NAME AND THUS WIN MORE EXPOSURE
AND PROMOTION?
That's exactly why we released the "Equilibrium"
CD again. Basically to reintroduce the band to the public. Hopefully for
people who haven't heard the first CD we will get some new fans and create
some excitement before the new one comes out. The new Kabang CD will be
called "Degeneration". It has a slightly political overtone to it.
7. LET’S SUPPOSE THAT YOU HAD TO REVIEW “EQUILIBRIUM”.
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TRYING TO BE AS OBJECTIVE AS POSSIBLE? ARE YOU SATISFIED
BY THE FINAL RESULT?
That's a hard question. When we began writing
songs for the "Equilibrium" CD, we really didn't know exactly what direction
we would be going in. Some of the songs fit better than others so maybe
I would have left a couple of them off if I had to do that CD over again.
Not that they are bad songs just maybe there would have been better choices.
8. BY THE WAY ANSWER THE SAME QUESTION CONCERNING
YOUR SOPHOMORE ALBUM THIS TIME…
All I can say is it kicks ass! (smiles)
9. WHAT’S THE BEST AND WHAT’S THE WORST PART IN
YOUR MUSIC, ACCORDING TO YOU? ARE THERE ANY ELEMENTS YOU’D LIKE TO ADD
OR EXPERIMENT WITH IN THE FUTURE?
I think a song should send a message. Something
that anyone can relate to. Real life experiences, whether bad or good.
The listener should be able to relate to the lyrics and the meaning behind
the songs. I want to continue writing songs with purpose while keeping
the music as heavy as possible.
10. NOW, TELL US WHICH THE MAIN TOPICS IN YOUR
LYRICS ARE. WHICH ARE YOUR SOURCES OF INSPIRATION?
As I mentioned in the last question I like
to write songs that people can relate to such as relationships, pain, death,
politics anything that is real. A listener will enjoy a song more if that
have a connection to it, a real life connection and that's how I choose
to write songs.
11. THE COVER ARTWORK IS VERY ELOQUENT AND I THINK
IDEAL FOR THE ALBUM TITLE… WHOSE IDEA WAS IT? THE PHOTO MUST BE REAL. RIGHT?
The cover photo from the "Equilibrium" CD
was a real photo. It was taken of a worker during the building of the Empire
State Building in New York City in the 1920's. We thought the picture
was perfect for the title of the CD. Equilibrium, the balance beteen life
and death. This worker was up 90 stories on a narrow steel beam.
There's a fine line between life and death.
12. NOW WHAT? WHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD FOR KABANG?
YOU AND YOUR LABEL MUST HAVE QUITE SOME PLANS… DO YOU ALSO HAVE ANY PLANS
FOR LIVE APPEARANCES?
Our basic goal is to reach as many people
as possible with our music and hopefully make some new fans along the way.
We look forward to performing live after the release of our second CD "Degeneration".
We would love the opportunity to come to Greece and play some shows. We
hear that Greece has many dedicated metal music fans and that they love
their heavy metal music.
13. WHAT KIND OF FEEDBACK HAVE YOU RECEIVED UP
TO NOW? WHAT WAS THE MOST FLATTERING AND WHAT THE MOST UNFAIR COMMENT FOR
YOUR MUSIC?
Our first CD has gotten a lot of good reviews
on it. We have gotten press across the world and people seem to like the
music. A lot of the writers had trouble describing what our sound is as
you mentioned. The only thing that I thought was a negative review is when
someone reviews your CD and knows nothing about metal bands and their fans.
We had a couple of people review the CD and basically knew nothing about
heavy music, so you sunk.
14. IF YOU HAD THE CHANCE TO INVITE A FAMOUS MUSICIAN,
WHO WOULD YOU CHOOSE AND WHY?
For me personality, I have always been a Judas
Priest and Iron Maiden fan. I'd love the opportunity to play with anyone
from those bands. It would be an honor. I also grew up listening to Black
Sabbath, another favorite of mine.
15. IF YOUR MUSIC WERE AN EMOTION, WHAT WOULD
IT BE? IF IT WERE A PAINTING, WHAT WOULD IT SHOW?
My music is about real emotions. Anything
people can relate to in their lives. I do tend to write about dark subjects
but that's reality nowadays in the world. Hopefully in the future that
will change.
16. IF YOU HAD THE MONEY TO MAKE AN EXPENSIVE
VIDEO CLIP EXACTLY LIKE YOU’D WANTED IT TO BE, WHICH SONG OF YOURS WOULD
YOU CHOOSE AND HOW DO YOU IMAGINE THE VIDEO CLIP TO BE?
We were going to make a video for the song
"Stress me out" from the Equilibrium CD. The song is about relationships
gone bad and the distress it causes. We never ended up making the video.
The guy who was the director didn't know what he was doing and the video
got delayed and finally never got shot. The video would have been real
dark.
17. THANK YOU! LEAVE A MESSAGE TO THE READERS…
I'd like to thank Christine and Behind the
Veil Ezine for letting me do an interview for them. The band hopes you
enjoy the new CD coming out in about a month called "Degeneration".
You can find out more information on the band by checking out our website
at http://www.kabangonline.com/
If you can't find the CD in Greece you can order it online. We look forward
to playing live in Greece in the near future.
Christine Parastatidou
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